Conversations About Obesity and Weight: Good News We Can Use
Authors: Christina C. Wee, John E. Cornell
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

Editorials7 November 2023Conversations About Obesity and Weight: Good News We Can UseChristina C. Wee, MD, MPH, John E. Cornell, PhDChristina C. Wee, MD, MPHSenior Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine Search for more papers by this author, John E. Cornell, PhDAssociate Editor for Statistics, Annals of Internal Medicine Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-2568 Annals Author Insight Video - Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH In this video, Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, offers additional insight into the article, "Conversations About Obesity and Weight: Good News We Can Use." (Duration 3:30) SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail More than 40% of adults in the United States meet the definition of having obesity (1). Fortunately, patients who receive physician counseling about their weight are more likely to attempt weight loss (2). How to best deliver this counseling is unclear, however. Many patients with obesity experience weight bias in their everyday life (3). Interactions with physicians and staff in the health care arena are no exception (3, 4). This may lead to avoidance of care, nonadherence to medical recommendations, and failure to follow through on suggested lifestyle and dietary changes, leading to adverse health outcomes (3, 4). How physicians ...References1. Stierman B, Afful J, Carroll MD, et al. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–March 2020 prepandemic data files—development of files and prevalence estimates for selected health outcomes. National Center for Health Statistics; 2021. doi:10.15620/cdc:106273 CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. Kwak EY, McMillan R, McDonald EK. Trends in overweight and obesity self-awareness among adults with overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2016. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174:721-723. [PMID: 33253038] doi:10.7326/M20-3882 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26:485-497. [PMID: 32127716] doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0803-x CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Phelan SM, Burgess DJ, Yeazel MW, et al. Impact of weight bias and stigma on quality of care and outcomes for patients with obesity. Obes Rev. 2015;16:319-326. [PMID: 25752756] doi:10.1111/obr.12266 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Albury C, Webb H, Stokoe E, et al. Relationship between clinician language and the success of behavioral weight loss interventions. A mixed-methods cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:1437-1447. doi:10.7326/M22-2360 LinkGoogle Scholar6. Puhl RM. What words should we use to talk about weight? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies examining preferences for weight-related terminology. Obes Rev. 2020;21:e13008. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Schwartz MW, Seeley RJ, Zeltser LM, et al. Obesity pathogenesis: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocr Rev. 2017;38;267-296. [PMID: 28898979] doi:10.1210/er.2017-00111 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Taylor R. Hunger and the obesity epidemic: old insights reaffirmed by new medicines? Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:995-996. [PMID: 37364261] doi:10.7326/M23-0744 LinkGoogle Scholar9. Michalopoulou M, Ferrey AE, Harmer G, et al. Effectiveness of motivational interviewing in managing overweight and obesity. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175:838-850. [PMID: 35344379] doi:10.7326/M21-3128 LinkGoogle Scholar10. Lin S, Cienfuegos S, Ezpeleta M, et al. Time-restricted eating without calorie counting for weight loss in a racially diverse population. A randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:885-895. [PMID: 37364268] doi:10.7326/M23-0052 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH; John E. Cornell, PhDAffiliations: Senior Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine Associate Editor for Statistics, Annals of Internal Medicine Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-2568.Corresponding Author: Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, American College of Physicians, 190 N Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106; e-mail, cwee@acponline.org.This article was published at Annals.org on 7 November 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement Annals Author Insight Video - Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH In this video, Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, offers additional insight into the article, "Conversations About Obesity and Weight: Good News We Can Use." (Duration 3:30) FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoRelationship Between Clinician Language and the Success of Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions Charlotte Albury , Helena Webb , Elizabeth Stokoe , Sue Ziebland , Constantinos Koshiaris , Joseph J. Lee , and Paul Aveyard Metrics November 2023Volume 176, Issue 11 Page: 1546-1547 Keywords Behavior Communication in health care Obesity Weight loss ePublished: 7 November 2023 Issue Published: November 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...